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<a name="boost_test.adv_scenarios.external_test_runner"></a><a class="link" href="external_test_runner.html" title="The external test runner usage variant">The external
      test runner usage variant</a>
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<p>
        This usage variant does not provide any <a class="link" href="test_module_runner_overview.html" title="Test module runner">test
        runner</a>. You employ it when you only want to define a <a class="link" href="../section_glossary.html#ref_test_tree">test
        tree</a> and possibly an <a class="link" href="test_module_init_overview.html" title="Test module's initialization">initialization
        function</a>, and expect another (external) program to evaluate these
        tests. This external program will come with its own test runner.
      </p>
<p>
        If you plan to use an external test runner with your test module, you need
        to build it as a dynamic library. You need to define macro flag <a class="link" href="../utf_reference/link_references/link_boost_test_dyn_link.html" title="BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK"><code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK</span></code></a> either in a
        makefile or before the header <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">boost</span><span class="special">/</span><span class="identifier">test</span><span class="special">/</span><span class="identifier">unit_test</span><span class="special">.</span><span class="identifier">hpp</span></code> inclusion. An external test runner
        utility is required to link with dynamic library.
      </p>
<p>
        The <span class="emphasis"><em>Unit Test Framework</em></span> comes with an example external
        test runner <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">console_test_runner</span></code>:
        Given a name of the test module (implemented as a shared library), and a
        name of the initialization function defined therein, the program can run
        all the tests from the module's test tree.
      </p>
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